The Portland daily press., 1887-10-26

benevoence outside of their own work. 50 1922
81, and for their own church purposes, Sl6,014.-
60 making grand total of sis, 1897 OF. This
was an Increase over the previous year of
$elo.96 in their bsnevolences, and s3,o766I in
the total This is an average contribution of
1892 per member for every woman and child in
these churches. The average membership of these
churches, planted among the humble people who
have no Congregational trend nor training, stands
at the encouraging number of 90 for each church,
while the average membership for each Congrega-
tiona church west of the Mississippi is only 49,
And these people in the South are loyal Congre-
gationalists Although "a wild olive tree and
grated in among the branches, they partake of
the root and fairness of the olive tree" The old
arguments urged by their Baptist brethren that
the Bible tells Of John the Baptist, but nowhere
to shake their faith in the church of Paul and
John Robinson. An old black man recently arose
In prayer meeting and most solemnly, with eager
voice and emphatic gestculation, exclaimed: III
am Congregational, and mean to continue till
get up yonder,
Where congregations ne'er break up
And Sabbaths never end"
They have found Congregationalsm in their old
hymn book, which is the next thing TO their Bible
At the annual meeting in Cleveland in 1882, in
the report OF the Committee on Church Work, is
found the following: "The rate of progress dur
ing the last seventeen years has been uniformly
constant, about five churches per year The
change the rate by doubling 1t; at least to quicken
the pace" Do the facts show that this suggestion
has been followed? Since 1882 fifty-five churches
have been organized, an average of eleven per
year for the five years since 1sS2-more than
os Of uno yo a
cording TO your faith" In 1882, 7O9 were added
70 the churches IN 1887, i.ls7 were added. But
our churches is still more remarkable. The total
Sunday school enrolment as It appears in the an
to report this year an enrolment OF 15,109, an
increase in these 1--WE years of 1874, or nearly
100 per cent.
These years have witnessed marvellous progress
In systematic care for the children and youth by
the Am. Miss. Assn churches,
Ia va or oIr oftar- hxows
activity in the church work. Five new meeting
houses have been erected; four of these are among
me mountain people and one among the freedmen
ization of two churches composed principally of
Congregationalists from the North. who have
taken up their residence in the South They
needed help and organized under the care of AM
Miss. Assn. Although we have no great Pente-
SosaF oa to TN tins year we deyeTeny
church almost daily, such as are being saved"
MOUNTAIN WORK.
When the Executive committee of the A. M. A.
decided to offer these mountain people the aid Of
our system, probably even this far-seeing com
the work. nor the grand possibilities of the field
The few feeble churches that then existed are
scarcely recognized now IA the larger work that
away. Indeed, in entering this region in 1882
we were only putting the pillow into the fields,
ers OF the A. ID. A. Before the war brave man
mad pushed his way back into these mountain
| ldStncSo6S Ill OnflSGS uanc. He went under
mission from the A. NJ A. He opened school;
his work was successful. Into his school he put
library for the use Of the pupils. In this library
among these, one against the sin of slavery. This
book got INTO the hands Of pro-savery family 1t
slavery Doctrine Tas tns SaeR m smt
tain regien was intense. mob was organized
They seized this missionary. bound him, beat him.
and took him some two miles over the mountains
| and threw him into cabin and left two men AS
guards at the doors while they, with their habitu-
They Intended to return and infict sorer punish
mcnt and perhaps hang him. Two mountain lads
oF9 t5Is heard this outrage They were pupils
one, unknown to the other, went by a different
path to the cabin with his rife on his shoulder
They knocked down the brutal man who guarded
| the door, took their teacher, cut the cords that
bound him, and, while he and his terrified wife at
ms ,s sac oS CLIMBED the pushing their way
/ kept back the mob with the threatening use of
their unerring rifles This missionary and his he
relic Vile fnaly reached the river and escaped
Now for the wonderful climax of that history We
nave recently organized Congregational church
| the original members who united in the bonds ~
| treedom-leving Congregationalism were those two
men who when boys defended this American Mis-
| sionary Association teacher at the risk of their
own lives. neat little church stands near this
prison cabin OF the past, and the bell that hangs
IN It's 6sltry whose tones fall now upon no slaves
| nrst missionary of this mountain region. Such
was the heroic beginning of the Associations work
4
during the years that passed, the tears and bloed
and prayers of these brave sufferers for Christ's
l The mountain work now Is divided into two
welldetned fields, both important. The field in
Kentucky has for its basis the Louisville and
Nashville railroad which has been built since on
/ present missionary force began their work in this
| region. The central point of this work is VIII
uamsburg Here we have large and prosperous
| academy and church. Eleven whole counties are
| easily reached from this centre and only one Of
these has as yet been occupied. In addition to
| the work at Williamsburg, there are two primary
| schools and five organized churches and Constant
lyincreasing numbers of missionary stations in
amsburg and Wood6ne and are used for pnc
service pastor has been settled over the
work with great efficiency The general mission
| airy has been relieved from the pastoral duties
which he has borne before, and has larger oppor-
him. Can we not have at least one pastor for
eaeh county?" is the painfully urgent plea of one
| OF the faithful workers in this field.
The other field of mountain work lies along the
Cumberland mountains in Tennessee, Its base is
the Cincinnati Southern railroad, and the work
extends far back into the mountains TWENTY-FIVE
counties are here accessible to our pastors and
teachers: We have IN this field two nourishng
up on the Cumberland plateau, at Pleasant Hill.
BESIDES these schools. there are also churches al
and fleetwood, Last year a new school was
taken under the care of the A. III. A. at Sherwood
| Tenn. We have thus surrounded this vast noun
tain region with our missionary forces A gener-
al missionary has been put into this field during
the past year and the work opens upon him with
| constantly increasing magnitude. These people
| are Americans In every sense of the word nine
ty-eight per cent. of the population of some coun-
ties having been born where they now live. Those
| who come Into the region from other parts of the
same State are foreigners. A missionary in writ
ing recently from this field says: II asked how
| many OF them in the meeting had bibles
in their homes, and out of fifteen or eighteen fam
lies represented only two of them had bibles -
Another missionary asked girl seventeen wears
| old II they had book in her house. "a book,
| what is book?' was the astonishing question A
s1e h5 oh tnss she said
grandmam died, but 1t was lost so long ago
plumb forgot how it looked"
field have been cleaned. Win you not let us SEND
our harvesters right into the heart Of this ripenine
gram 10 gather In the name of our Goa.
INDIAN WORK
The Indian work is chiefly in Nebraska and
| year: W
SUMMARY OF INDIAN WORK.
Church members. ............................. $40
Auded during year. ....................... -. As
Pupiis IN schools ..''''''....... '........... u
Missionaries and teachers. ....... 49,. 81
The report shows an encouraging increase il
church membership. This means the redemption
OF souls from heathenism.
Santee. oahe, and Fort Berthold. The work hal
been strengthened In each of these stations dur
Ing the year. The Santee Normal School ceIe
bratsd its seventeenth birthday during the pas
year. 1t was the first school Of lis kind estab
lshed among this patton, and its fruitful histor,
| apundantly proves the wisdom of its planting
superior normal training is given the Students Il
| this school. The enrolment this wear was OK
| Iwenty-slx students were gathered in The theo
logical department, many of whom will doubles
become missionaries TO their own people. pilgrim
Church At Santee has enjoyed year Of prospect
| ": Eighteen have been added to the member
snlpi eleven on the confession of their faith
AT Rosebud Agency three villages includn
about 5000 Indians: are open to missionary lnfu
enco. and the work is being pushed with increase,
vigor. Jacob Good Dog converted Indian wa
the Boniface In this field.
Among the Ponca Indians, In Nebraska tn
work had been carried on with about usual re
suits.
Odhe.-This mission includes a training schoo
! | and eleven out-statons on the CHEYENNE AM
Grand rivers. Nineteen have been added TO IN
Oahe church, on confession Of their faith, durn
. the year. young man has been ordained a
missionary to the Indians and enters the field OF
Grand River for his life work. He has caueh
the spirit OF Edwards and Elliott and Branard
Fort Bcrthotd has passed year OF prosperity
, New work Is opening in this field. | quote fros
recent letter from Fort Berthod: 'Snce m,
, last letter we have had very interesting and ser
! | Gus developments. The Gros Ventres and Man
dan tribes, situated 20 and 40 miles from us. hay
little or no religious instruction, only as the
come to us. These two tribes we are hopin
. some OF our young men who are away at schoc
| Will be ready soon to work with
! | iSkokonnish Agency lies 900 miles To the was
, | OF Fort Berthod in Washington Territory tn
| church here has also been blessed during III
year with revival Influences and four have Unite
( with II on confession of faith.